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Following opposition to the move of the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) to handover distribution management of drinking water supply to Mysore city to a private agency, the MCC has decided to respond to the people’s concern and objections.

A recent meeting at the MCC to review progress in the implementation of projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) witnessed acrimonious scenes. Participants, who included representatives of NGOs, expressed doubts and concern over the MCC deal with Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (JUSCO). They suspected that the move to handover water supply to JUSCO was towards privatisation of water supply and rise in water rates. MCC Commissioner K S Raikar had assured to respond to the views of the public. Accordingly, in a press release, the Commissioner said the Karnataka Water Supply and Drainage Board, Bangalore had entrusted the city’s water supply management to JUSCO in a transparent manner.

Under the terms, 24-hour water supply was mandatory. It would benefit in leakage of water and would avoid road cuttings for repairs. The tariff structure would become uniform with installation of water meters. All the unauthorised connections would be regularised. These steps would help in savings and improve service to the public, he said.

Besides JUSCO, the Nagarjuna Company was entrusted with replacement of water supply mains and construction of 25 overhead tanks. This was as part of the Rs. 194 crore project to modernise the water supply system in Mysore under the JNNURM, which the MCC had taken up.

Currently 42.5 mgd water was being lifted from the bed source of the river Cauvery at four water pumping stations.The population of the city being around 12 lakh covering the 65 MCC wards and the villages coming under the city’s jurisdiction of Mysore Urban Development Authority, this should work out to an average supply of 135 litres per head. However, figures reveal a water supply of 110 litres on an average.

The supply too is not uniform, some wards getting water supply daily, a few others once a day and couple of others once in three days. The water supply ranges from 4 to 6 hours a day and at some times it is during midnights, the MCC Commissioner said, inviting public suggestions before March 24, to the deal with JUSCO.